Car-brake



(No Model.)

J.H.GLARK. CAR BRAKE. No. 408,794. Patented Aug. 1s, '1889.

N4 PETERS, Phokn-Uthgnpher. Wnsllngion. l)A C.

WLM/wom l fwwQ/Mf UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES H. CLARK, OE FLATBUSH, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES E. HARRIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,794, dated August 13, 1889.

Application lecl June l1, 1889. Serial No. 313,828. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. CLARK, aciti- Zen of the United States, and a resident of Flatbush, in the county of Kings and State 0f New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

Previous to my invention accidents have frequently occurred by reason of the breaking of the connecting-rod, which couples together the brake-lever and the brake-beam.

In all street-railwayicars this connectingrod is a rigid bar of iron secured at one end to the brake-lever and at its other end to the brake-beam, and serves to communicate the power and motion of the brake-lever to the brake-beam and the brake-shoes carried by the latter. As considerable strain is put upon this connecting-rod in the application of the brake-shoes, it consequently often happens that it is broken in two or torn away from the brake-lever or the brake-beam at either of its points of union. When this happens, the car is put wholly beyond the control of the driver and an accident is liable to occur, particularly if the car is on a grade at the time of the breakage.

My invention has for its main object to provide a means whereby the driver may retain control of his car notwithstanding any rupture or parting of the said connecting-rod; and to this end it consists in combining with the brake-lever and brake-beam a jointed or flexible connection inertor f unctionless while the connecting-rod isin proper working condition, but adapted to take the place of the latter and perform its oflice the moment the connecting-rod becomes broken or inoperative, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.` i

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of the bottom portion of a railway-car embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the same, taken at the line o3 oc of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereat.

In both views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of reference.

2 designates the car-body or framework,

and 3 the brake-beams suspended therefrom in about the usual manner and provided with brake-slices 4.

5 represents the brake-lever, which is pivoted or fulcrumed at Gin a hanger 7, attached to theframe-work. At one side of the pivot of the brake-lever is attached one end of a rigid connecting-rod S, and at the other side of said pivot is attached one end of a similar connecting-rod 9. The opposite ends of these rigid connecting-rods are fastened to the brake-beams, all as clearly illustrated. Connected to the ends of the brake-levers are brake-rods l0 and ll, provided, respectively, with chains 12 and 13, adapted, respectively, to be wound upon the brake-shafts or staffs 14 and 15, which Ylatter are tobe provided with cranks or hand-wheels for the usual purose.

p The brake mechanism above described is that .in common use, and is so well known that little need be said in explanation of its mode of operation; but it may be remarked here that if either brake-shaft is rotated the brake-lever 5 is vibrated by means of the intermediate brake-rod and chain, and the connecting-rods 8 and 9 are caused to draw the brake-beams toward each other and force the brake-shoes against the peripheries of the wheels of the car.

On the outer side of each connecting-rodis arranged a leXible connection between the brake-lever and the brake-beams, which is composed, preferably, of a long link or bar 16 and two shorter links 17 and 1S, one at each end. The link 17 is coupled to a clip or staple or other suitable device 19, secured to the brake-lever, andthe link 1S is coupled to a similar device 20, attached to the brakebeam.

The length of the jointed 0r flexible con# nection between the brake-lever and the brake-beam exceeds that of the rigid connectingrod S or 9, and, consequently, the flexible connection hangs below the plane of the connecti1ig-rod, as represented at Fig. 2.

By having the iiexible connection made and arranged in this manner it will be seen that so long as the rigid connecting-rod remains unbroken there will be no pull, strain,

IOO

or tension on the flexible connection. This is important, because if it were of the same length as the connecting-rod the strain would come on both devices and both would be liable to break at the saine time. According te my construction it is impossible for the connecting-rod and the Aflexible connection to break at the same time. The connecting-r0d must give way before the flexible connection can perform any function. The moment the connecting-rod breaks the slack or play in the iiexible connection accompanying it may be taken up and said connection may be made to serve the same function that the broken rigid connecti 11g-rod servednamely, to transmit the power and motion of the brake-lever to the brake-beam.

It will thus be seen that by my invention is provided a means which is always readyto take the place and perform all the duties of the connecting-rod the instant the latter shall have become broken or inoperative. The

substitution of the flexible connection for the broken connecting-rod is of course antomatically effected, and hence the driver is at no time left without the control of his car.

In order to support the broken connectingrod and prevent it from catching in the ground or heilig forced up through the iioor of the car, I provide the hooks or hangers 2l, of which there may be as many as in the judgment of the car-builder or in practice may be found necessary or desirable. These devices are supported by the ear-body and are formed with hooks or catches which extend down and under the rigid connecting-rod, as shown.

My invention may be employed on freightears and steam passenger-cars and other vehicles, as well as on horse or street railway ears.

'Vhat I cla-im as new7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is#

In a ear-brake, the combination, with the brakedevcr and brake-beam provided with the usual rigid connecting-rod, of a iiexible or jointed connection between the brake-le ver and brake-beam, as and for the purposes set forth. v

Signed at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, this Sth day of June,

JAMES H. CLARK. Witnesses:

S. L. ROWLAND, CHAS. E. HARRIS. 

